Printing member



May 17, 1932.

v C. CHISHOLM PRINTING MEMBER Filed April 18, 1930 M M M w &

3mm X/uz QQMMW J wZY M Patented May 17, 1932 UNHTED STAT P A T I" CLIFTON CHISHOLM, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO AMERICAN MULTIGRAPH 00., OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE PRINTING MEMBER Application filed April 18,

The object of this invention is to provide individual members, each carrying a line of printing type, adapted for ready mounting in a suitable holder which engages the ends of the members, and for ready removal therefrom. More particularly, I contemplate a single line printing device which is so formed that it may be readily placed manually in a holder having a pair of parallel spaced retainers beneath which the ends of the line printer may be slipped. My printing member may accordingly be mounted in place by placing it askew on the holding device and then twisting it so that its ends pass beneath the retainers, while reverse movement may remove the printing device. This enables the convenient substitution of any line in a form for any other line, or the addition of fresh lines, by simply spreading the existing form and making the change or insertion and then recompacting it.

My invention is also concerned with making the printing device as a composite member, comprising a suitable base strip and a surmounting embossed printing strip having inwardly curled edges which may underhang portions of the base member and be held thereby. The base strips are preferably no wider than the printing strips so that a solid printing form may be made by them. Extensions of the base members beyond the ends of the printing member furnish the means for cooperating with the retaining device to hold the members in place. The printing members are preferably given a camber, concave toward the printing face, which tends to retain them in position when flattened and mounted.

The invention is hereinafter more fully explained, in connection with the drawings, and its essential novel features are set out in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a perspective of my composite printing member, composed of a base strip and a surmounting printing strip; Fig. 2 is a perspective of'the base strip alone; Fig. 3 is a perspective of the printing strip alone; Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are cross sections on an enlarged scale through the base W strip, as indicated by the correspondingly 1930. Serial No. 445,499.

numbered lines on Fig. Fig. 7 is a much enlarged perspective of the end'portion of the base strip Fig. 8 is a plan of a holder with a number of printing members assembled thereon; Fig. 9 is a cross section through the holder and a printing member, being a section on the line 99 on Fig. 8, but on a larger scale.

As shown in Fig. 2, the base of my printing member comprises a single strip of metal, comparatively stiif having a body portion 10, upstanding projections or buttons 11 and connecting corrugations 12 pressed up from the base of the metal. The corrugations are V hollow downwardly-facing troughs, as shown on an enlarged scale in Fig. 4:. The buttons are made by cutting out side portions of the corrugations and base as indicated at '13 in Fig. 5 and then raising the edge portions of such cut out buttons'into parallelism with the base. This strip, it may be noted, is made in accordance with Patents No. 1,438,582 and No. 1538,58 1 granted December 12th, 1922, to my assignee, The American Multigraph Company. V

The printing strip which I employ in my composite printing member is a sheet metal strip 20, shown in perspective in Fig. '3,

having a row of embossed characters 21 eX- thus producing the construction shown in- Fig. 1. If desired, the mechanism of my copending application NO./4:4:5,500 may be employed to mount the strip directly from the embossing machine on the base strip while the latter is suitably held in a temporary holder. The base strip is longer than the printing strip and thus extend beyond it at each end and as indicated at 15 in Fig. 1. These extensions are beyond the endmost buttons 11 on the base strip and thus leave fiat projections of low height which are suitable for retaining the printing member in place. The endmost corrugations mesh with the flattened portions 15 and lead gradually upward therefrom, as shown at 16, to the top of the buttons, the buttons and the intermediate corrugation having the same surface plane.

It will be seen from a comparison of Figs. 2 and 3, that a camber is given to the base strip 2 while the printing strip 3 is straight. However, when the printing strip is slid over the row of buttons of the base strip, the tendency of the base strip to curve takes precedence over the lesser tendency of the printing strip to remain straight, and thus the composite strip is normally cambered as shown in Fig. 1. I find this action readily results by making the printing strip of aluminum naturally straight and the base strip of a stiffer metal naturally curved.

My composite printing member is adapted for ready mounting in place on a suitable holder having parallel overhanging ledges. Such a holder is illustrated in Fig. 8, wherein 30 is a sheet of metal, 31 a pair of overhanging slats thereon parallel with the sheet. The edge portions of the slats are spaced from the plate, for instance by having the slats rest on narrower strips 32 as shown in Fig. 9. With such a device after the composite printing member is placed diagonally on a base plate 30 (asindicated by the printing member 20a in Fig. 8) and the end portions of such printing member pressed down by the 'operators fingers so that the whole member lies parallel with the base plate, the member can be skewed into a position at right angles to the retaining ledges 31, the projecting ends 15 of the member thus passing beneath such ledges. When so positioned, the printing portion of the member lies between the ledges and is prevented thereby from longitudinal shifting on the base strip. The tendency of the flattened members to spring up at the ends prevents any upward bowing of their intermediate regions.

If it is desired to mount the device shown in Fig. 8 on the drum, the base plate 30 is made flexible and the ledges 31 are secured thereto in such manner that they may slip arcuately on the base plate after the same is curved into position. .Such base plate may I have a transverse stopping rib at one end as indicated at 35 in Fig. 8 and the various printing members thereon may be held in compacted position in addition to their own friction by a suitable follower 38. It should be noted however, that the feature of mounting on a flexible form, as well as the construction and operation of the flexible galley, is a joint invention of myself and Peter M. Colquhounand is'covered in a copending application Serial No. 445,501. The present invention is concerned with the printing member per se, and its combination with any holder rigid or flexible which engages the ends of such member. It may be noted that a system of printing involving the use of the com posite member of this application is set out and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 457 ,200.

I claim 1. A composite printing member comprising a comparatively long and narrow base strip, and a printing strip surmounting the base strip and held thereto, the base strip projecting beyond the ends of the printing strip and not being materially wider than the printing strip whereby when the composite'members are compacted in a form the printing strips will substantially engage each other.

2. A composite printing member comprising a comparatively long and narrow printing strip carrying a single row of printing characters, and a strip not materially wider than the printing strip and carrying the printing strip and projecting beyond the ends of the printing strip.

3. A composite printing member comprising a comparatively long and narrow base strip having upstanding projections, and a printing strip. surmounting the base strip and held thereon by edge flanges underhanging said projections, the base strip projecting beyond the ends of the printing strip and having substantially the same width as the printing strip, whereby the composite members may be substantially compacted in a form. v

4. A printing form comprising a holder and composite printing members carried thereby and each consisting of a comparatively long and narrow base strip and a printing strip mounted on the base strip. the base strips projecting beyond the ends of the printing strips, and the holder overhanging such projecting portions.

5. A printing form comprising a holder and composite printing members carried thereby and each consisting of a comparatively long and narrow base strip and a printing strip mounted on the base strip and having a single row of printing characters, the base strip not being materially wider than the printing strip and the holder overhanging the endmost portions of the printing members.

6. A printing form comprising a holder and composite printing members carried thereby and each consisting of a comparatively long and narrow base strip having upstanding projections, and a printing strip mounted on the projections and having edge flanges extending beneath them, the base strips projecting beyond the ends of the printing strips, and the holder overhanging such projecting portions.

7. A composite printing member composed of a printing strip and a base portion on which it is mounted, said composite printing member when unloaded having a camber concaved toward the printing side but when mounted in a holder being substantially flat.

8. A composite print-ing member having a comparatively long and narrow base strip with upstanding projections, and a printing strip having a single row of embossedcharacters and having edge flanges extending beneath the projections, said device having a camber concave on the printing strip side.

9. The combination of a comparatively long and narrow printing member normally concave in the printing side and a holder having means for engaging the end portions of the member to hold it flat.

10. The combination of a composite printing member composed of a printing strip and a base portion on which it is mounted and which projects beyond the end of the printing strip, said composite printing member when unloaded having a camber concaved toward the printing side, and a holder adapted to engage the ends of the base portion of the member.

11. A composite printing member having a comparatively long and narrow base strip with upstanding projections, a shorter printing strip mounted thereon and having a single row of embossed characters and having edge flanges extending beneath the projections, said device having a camber concave on the printing strip side, combined with a holder having retaining members to overlap the projecting ends of the base strip.

12. A printing member having a normally cambered base member and an initially straight printing member carried by the base member and secured to it in various intermediate regions, whereby the cambered base member bends the printing member.

13. A printing member having a cambered base member with upstanding projections and an initially straight printing member carried by the base members and having edge flanges extending beneath the projections, the force of the base member transmitting camber to the printing member.

14. The combination with a suitable holder, of printing members having their ends engaged thereby to hold them flat, each printing member having a normally cambered base member and a normally straight printing member carried by the base member.

15. A printing member comprising a narrow longitudinally cambered base strip of comparatively stiff material and an aluminum printing strip carried thereby, the base strip having upstanding buttons and the aluminum strip having edge flanges extend ing beneath the edges of the buttons- 16. A printing member comprising a longitudinally cambered base strip of comparatively stiff material and a comparatively soft nonresilient printing strip carried thereby,

the base strip extending beyond the ends of the printing strip, and a holder having a pair of spaced ledges beneath which the pro jecting ends of the base strip extend.

17. A line printing member comprising a narrow base strip of comparatively stifi ma terial cambered longitudinally, and a comparatively soft printing strip carried thereby and held to the base strip substantially throughout the length of the printing strip.

18. A printing strip comprising a resilient base member curved in the direction of its length, and a printing member of compar-.

atively non-resilient material, means for mounting the printing member on the concaved side of the base member whereby the printing member then receives a concavity from the base member.

19. A composite printing member comprising a base strip, normally concaved, means for mounting a printing strip on the concaved side thereof, and means engaging the ends of the composite member for holding it substantially flat.

20. The combination with a printing member having a pair of parallel ledges with re taining space beneath them, of a series of printing members having base portions extending beneath the ledges and surmounting printing portions movably mounted on the base portions and retained thereon against movement other than longitudinal, said printing strips being slightly shorter than the distance between the retaining ledges whereby said ledges prevent material shifting of the printing strips while allowing skewing thereof for removal, the base strips in use extending beneath said ledges and holding the composite member in place.

21. In a printing device, a single-line character bearing strip having inwardly and downwardly turned flanges, a single detached line holder associated with each strip, said holder comprising an undercut head portion which is surmounted by the character strip and engaged by the flanges of said strip, and a base portion extending laterally beyond its junction with the head portion and of greater length than the strip and narrow enough so that successive strips may print a compact column.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

CLIFTON CHISHOLM. 

